Newswise – An IBeA research group from the University of the Basque Country’s Department of Research Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, is participating in NASA’s space mission on Mars2020, which is expected to crash down on Mars in February this year. In particular, the group has been involved in the construction and validation of the chemical uniformity of the templates on the calibration chart of the SuperCam instrument mounted on the Persecution. ‘We made a set of perfectly marked rods according to the instruments we have here, so that we can confirm that the LIBS and Raman spectroscopy measurements made by the SuperCam are correct,’ explained Dr Cristina García-Florentino. ‘Raman spectroscopy is a device for determining the molecular composition of unknown samples,’ she continues. In other words, not only can we determine, for example, whether the sample contains calcium or iron, etc., we can also identify the molecular form in which they are present. So let’s see if they contain calcite or gypsum, for example. We can determine the geochemical composition of the planet ‘.
At the same time, the research group is also working on the characters of meteorites, with a twofold goal: ‘First, prepare for the information that could be sent from Mars by the rover Perseverance; and second, to develop non-destructive analytical strategies to identify Martian characters from the return mission (Sample Return mission) when it reaches Earth ‘. To date, Martian meteorites are the only Martian examples available for the development of various survey methods. In a recent study, the group has proposed an innovative non-destructive analysis strategy that could be added to the current arsenal of rapid analysis methods that can be used with future samples. .
To demonstrate its capabilities, the group has proposed to use their analysis to identify the ‘Martian meteorite Dar al Gani 735, with the aim of identifying the terrestrial and non-terrestrial changes it suffered, as a valuable supportive approach to the more traditional petroglyph. analyzes, ‘explained Dr. García-Florentino.
Accessibility can be uncertain
In the researcher’s view, ‘this study demonstrates the potential of Raman spectroscopy as a key innovation in the upcoming new investigations of Mars materials by the rover Rosalind Franklin (ESA’s Exomars2022 mission) and the rover Perseverance (mission NASA’s Mars2020), called Raman observers will be set up for the first time in an off-ground research mission in the field ‘. According to Dr. García-Florentino, the approach is important ‘because, once samples have been retrieved directly from Mars, we cannot destroy them until they are studied in the early stages of study. So it is important to be prepared for when the Martian samples arrive, so that they get as much information as possible from them, with the fewest possible errors and trying to destroy them as little as possible.
Nonetheless, the researcher warns that it will be difficult to access the information and samples themselves: ‘We do not yet know if we can access the samples, whether they allow us to the study as we propose here by the methods. we have improved ‘. At the same time, the IBeA group will continue their work, ‘for every meteorite is a world in its own right; each meteorite is completely different from the others.
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